An American rabbi, Mark L. Winer, is now a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his interfaith work globally. Rabbi Winer was the spiritual leader of Temple Emanuel of New Haven Connecticut, and is the first American to receive this honor of chivalry from the Queen of England.
He was given the award for his efforts in resolving religious tensions and establishing interfaith connections between communities. According to the Jewish Ledger, the citation honors him for, “promoting interfaith dialogue and social cohesion in London and the U.K.”
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Winer was born in Logan, Utah, was raised in Texas and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University. He was awarded a Ph.D from Yale University with a degree in sociology, comparative religion, contemporary Jewry and race relations.
Rabbi Winer served at Temple Emmanuel fro 1968 to 1977, and then was a rabbi in White Plains NY. In 1998, he became spiritual leader of the West London synagogue, the oldest reform temple in Europe. It was in England he launched the organization FAITH: the Foundation to Advance Interfaith Trust and Harmony. The organization has branches in Israel, German and Russia. It was during this year, Rabbi Winer became a British subject while retaining his American citizenship and became chaplain to the Lord Mayor of Westminster.
When he returned to the U.S. in 2010, he became adjunct professor of religion at St. Thomas University in Florida and is Chairman of the World Union for Progressive Judaism’s Interfaith Task Force.
